Knees names date for Trowbridge centre move

The HJ Knee store in Fore Street, which will be vacated by the company soon

HJ Knee is looking forward to opening their new store at the Spitfire Retail Park in Trowbridge on Friday, March 28.

The company, which has been based in Fore Street for 130 years, is leaving the town centre with their new venture specialising in electrical goods, furniture and homeware.

This week Knees signs went up on the former Comet unit, which they are taking over, and staff are currently being trained in preparation for the opening.

Jonathan Knee, property and business director, said: “This is the best part of the project and we are all looking forward to opening up.

"It is going to be an interesting transition and we want to keep our existing customers happy as well as welcoming new ones.

“We are discussing having various discount offers going to mark the opening but we won’t be making a grand launch. We are looking at putting together something special which will take place at Easter.”

Knees has closed their electrical store in Fore Street and there is a relocation sale ongoing at their neighbouring department store as they look to sell the products they’ll no longer be stocking.

Mr Knee said that there is no confirmed date when the department store will close but remaining sale items will soon be moved into the Castle Street side of the shop with the Fore Street side shutting.

Knees is working with property consultant Sanderson Weatherall to find suitable tenants for the properties they are vacating.

Mr Knee said: “We are marketing these properties and talking to the agent regularly. We’ve had interested parties who have visited to see the properties and the town but nothing has advanced any further yet.”

To prepare for the move, Knees cut its workforce of 50 by making 15 members of staff redundant.